Combination signalling and sheetholding device



Jan. 25, 1966 K, SMITH ETAL 3,230,993

COMBINATION SIGNALLING AND SHEET-HOLDING DEVICE Filed July 1. 1964 Arm/W675 United States Patent This invention relates to a compact device, especially adapted for railroad trainmen, for use in combination with booklets or sheets,'as a holder and protector therefor to in addition provide a highly efficient signalling device.

As is well known, railroad trainmen including brakemen, conductors, switchmen and yardmen are required to carry such pamphlets and sheets as timetables, working time cards and switching lists. These are usually in pamphlet or bound form of substantially uniform size and often adapted for longitudinal folding, to be accommodated in the pockets of a trainmans clothing.

At the present time and for many years, a number of different signals are standard for indicating backing, stopping or starting of a train to the engineer, both in passenger operations and in the switching of cars. Many of these signals are given by movement of a trainmans hand in a predetermined manner. In adverse Weather conditions, or where lighting conditions are poor, such signalling in numerous instances is inadequate and some accidents and minor wrecks have been occasioned thereby.

It is an object of our invention to provide a simple, compact device of low cost, which will serve the two functions of constituting a convenient holder and retainer for timetables, switching lists and working time cards, as well as a very efiective manually controlled signal device, visible with only a minimum amount of light from long distances, by the engineer and other trainmen.

More specifically it is an object to provide a preferably flexible sheath or envelope construction, properly dimensioned to contain and hold the full area of a timetable, switching list or time card, with facility for enabling such media to be once folded with the sheath, and having an external, preferably protective surface associated with a large zone of luminous coloring for signalling purposes. The combination of the sheath and its contents provides a fairly stiff medium which can readily be grasped by a trainman and moved to give a signal, while facilitating, when folded, the carrying thereof in an ordinary pocket.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be more apparent from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view on a reduced scale of a folded embodiment of our assembled structure used in manual signalling, a portion of the exterior transparent ply or sheet being broken away to disclose the luminous brilliant color coating attached to the inside surface thereof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inner ply and its sealed connection with the outer ply of our novel sheath and signalling device in folded out position, with a timetable or other informative pamphlet for trainmen, attached thereto and carried thereby, with said pamphlet being rather sharply folded at center portions of its sheets; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken transversely of FIG. 1, thicknesses of the sheets of the informative pamphlet and sheath being exaggerated for clarity.

Referring to the drawings, the letter S indicates as an entirety, the sheath or envelope of peculiar construction, which in combination with a multi-sheet printed medium such as a railroad timetable, map or switching list, constitutes an efficient manual signal device. The sheath S 3,230,993 Patented Jan. 25, 1966 is constructed from a sufiiciently flexible, preferably transparent material such as a thermoplastic and two plies or one folded ply of, for example, plastic film material such as vinyl or polyethylene may be employed.

In any event the completed sheath comprises an exterior ply or sheet 6 and an interior ply or sheet 7, connected together as by folded integral construction or by heat sealing, stitching or otherwise, at longitudinal edges 6a and 7a respectively. The two sets of edges 6b and 7b respectively, extending at right angles to the longitudinal edges, are also secured together by heat sealing, stitching or other means, leaving an open inner longitudinal structure 0 (similar to an envelope) to facilitate ready insertion of the cover or any desired sheet of a printed pamphlet medium such as a timetable T, map, worksheet or trainmans switching list.

The interior ply is of transparent material so that indicia on the covered surface of a sheet may be read therethrough. Preferably interior ply 7 is of slightly less width than exterior ply 6, to leave a narrow protruding edge of the exterior ply, as shown at the left in FIG. 2, to facilitate insertion of the cover X or one or more outside sheets of the informative pamphlet such as timetable, switching lists, etc. Such informative material is conventionally prepared in once-folded pamphlet or booklet form. Our carrier sheath S is of dimensions to readily accommodate the full cover or outside sheet (unfolded) of the said informative material. The remaining sheets are free for reading or for folding outwardly of the left hand edge of the sheath and as will be seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings, for convenience in dimensions, such unretained sheets are disposed in nearly completely folded relation.

It will be understood that our combinative device which includes as a part of the combination the folded informational sheets and their attachment by cover or otherwise to the envelope sheath S, provides requisite overall stiffness to the assembly to permit the overall device in folded position, as shown in FIG. 1, to be handled in the manner illustrated as a manual signal. When compactly folded as shown in FIG. 1, the device affords protection from inclement weather to the printed sheets then covered by the sheath. The width of the compacted assembly is such as to enable the user to readily dispose the same in an ordinary coat or pants pocket.

Preferably, substantially the entire inner surface of the outer ply of our envelope sheath, but in a minimum, a substantial area thereof is covered or preferably coated with a thin stratum of brilliant, luminescent coloring material C.

Preferably a color such as orange is employed rather than green or red, which is used for other purposes in railway signalling systems. Thus, the coloring material is protected by the thickness of the transparent plastic or ply 6 and will not be abraded.

It will of course be understood that a plurality of different informative material-s may be held and retained Within the protective envelope or sheath S, all being readily accessible for reading when the cover page only is disposed within and carried by the sheath.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that we have provided a novel combination of sheet holding and signalling device with informational pamphlets or sheets constituting an integral part of the combination for stiffening and manipulation purposes.

The assembly is particularly adapted for use by railroad trainmen and is in reality in the category of a safety device for minimizing accidents, in railroad transportation and switching.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details, arrangements, proportions of parts and the materials from which the two plies of my protective envelope are constructed, all are within the scope of our invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-functional article of the class described having in combination,

a multi-sheet folder capable of being centrally folded to constitute a relatively stiff mounting member,

a rectangular sheath constructed of flexible material having an exterior rectangular web and an interior rectangular web of substantially similar size and shape,

said webs being joined together along an outer longitudinal edges and along the two sides adjacent thereto, leaving an insert opening at the opposite longitudinal edge,

the internal area of said sheath being of a size to nicely accommodate sheets of said folder,

' at least-the rear sheet o'r cover of said folder being contained within said sheath with remaining sheets of said folder being superimposed upon the interior web of said sheath, said sheath andcover being folded centrally whereby all of said folder sheets are protected by said sheath and whereby the resultant assembly is stiffened,

and the exterior web of said sheath carrying a brilliant color pigment throughout a large portion of its overall area to constitute with said folded assembly, a manual signal device.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the interior web of said sheath being transparent to visually expose in'dicia imprinted on said sheathcontained sheet, I I

and the exterior web of said sheath having luminescent color pigment applied to the interior surface thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,718,626 6/1929 Bleecker 11s 33.s 3,115,417 12/1963 Christensen 117- 33.5 3,142,437 7/1964 Grantetal 22968.34X

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. 

1. A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ARTICLE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED HAVING IN COMBINATION, A MULTI-SHEET FOLDER CAPABLE OF BEING CENTRALLY FOLDED TO CONSTITUTE A RELATIVELY STIFF MOUNTING MEMBER, A RECTANGULAR SHEATH CONSTRUCTED OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING AN EXTERIOR RECTANGULAR WEB AND AN INTERIOR RECTANGULAR WEB OF SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR SIZE AND SHAPE, SAID WEBS BEING JOINED TOGETHER ALONG AN OUTER LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND ALONG THE TWO SIDES ADJACENT THERETO, LEAVING AN INSERT OPENING AT THE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGE, THE INTERNAL AREA OF SAID SHEATH BEING OF A SIZE TO NICELY ACCOMMODATE SHEETS OF SAID FOLDER, 